Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew will make club stronger next season - if they retain Premier League status

When Alan Pardew signed an eight-year contract at Newcastle earlier in this
season, it seemed everyone at St James’ Park was signalling a new era of
stability at the club. You would think we would all know football better by
now.

Pressure: Alan Pardew faces an important few weeks as Newcastle bid to avoid relegation from the Premier LeaguePhoto: REUTERS

Such are the ups and downs of the managerial life, you are never more vulnerable than when you think you have cracked the code.

From being rewarded with a deal which, on the surface, seemed to him as secure as anyone in the Premier League, Pardew, according to some accounts, will have his position reviewed regardless of whether Newcastle stay up and he could be out before the start of next season.

I have to say I think that would be a mistake, particularly if, as I expect, Newcastle still manage to escape relegation.

Pardew has done an excellent job on Tyneside until the last few weeks, particularly given the circumstances he walked into when it seemed nobody wanted to give him a chance after Chris Hughton left. He won the fans over and not too many were complaining when he was handed that prolonged deal last September.

I understand the fear for Newcastle given the way they have played in the last few weeks, especially at home, but I see their current plight as a freakish dip due to a series of unfortunate circumstances rather than a terminal, predictable decline.

The anomaly of the league table is that should Newcastle keep out of the bottom three, I would expect them to finish comfortably in the top half next season under Pardew.

Watching Newcastle at the start of the season they looked more equipped to be competing for Europe rather than where they are now.

The spine of their side was excellent. At the back, Fabricio Coloccini was being compared to Bobby Moore by his manager, Yohan Cabaye was being watched enviously by other Premier League managers and Demba Ba was being linked with a move to a Champions League club every week.

The problem is self-evident. Coloccini said he wanted to go back to Argentina, Ba moved to Chelsea and form has been progressively deteriorating ever since. Other injuries and suspensions have led to this downward momentum and once that slide starts it gets more difficult to halt.

The greatest concern watching them now is they are in a battle for survival but appear to lack the basic fighting ability you need in this situation.

It is because of this the finger is being pointed at the French contingent, but it is a characteristic of the whole squad. Pardew has more technical players than scrappers.

Against Sunderland and Liverpool it was especially noticeable how lacking in intensity the team was. Teams at the bottom need to come out all guns blazing, getting into the faces of the opponent, but you cannot overnight turn players into something they are not.

These Newcastle players did not expect to be where they are and it shows.

Blaming this on the French signings is too simplistic. A year ago everyone was lauding the scouting department for unearthing so many gems.

The club’s policy of selling big earners for a significant fee and recruiting bargains from France was seen as the example for others to follow.

Where you will have a problem with a squad which is so distinctively split between a French influence and the rest is if it affects the sense of spirit and togetherness in the camp.

For me, the best atmosphere you can have in any squad is when you walk into dinner every afternoon and never sit next to the same guy on consecutive days. I am not saying you all need to get on, but you do have to be united where and when it really matters.

As soon as you start having cliques, players hanging around with their mates and having as little to do with others as possible, then you have a problem.

In their last two home games, Newcastle looked like a team lacking in that essential togetherness and you cannot get away with that when you are as desperate for points as they are.

Pardew has three games to sort it out this season, but it is in his favour he already has 37 points. I believe he has enough to make sure another win will avoid a catastrophe. Then he can have a rethink and regroup over the summer to make sure this does not happen again.

If he fails and Wigan and Aston Villa condemn Newcastle to relegation, we all know what the inevitable repercussions for Pardew will be.

These are the margins of football – the promise of eight years one week, an immediate challenge of getting through the next eight weeks the next.

As long as Pardew emerges unscathed through one of the most severe and potentially expensive blips in Premier League memory, Newcastle will not be in this situation next season.